Van Halen 5150 Stripe

Alright, I’ll admit up front that I’ve had this shirt for about a year now. It’s a comfortable fit, and the fabric is soft. It doesn’t feel heavy like you’d expect a shirt with this much print to feel. It’s as bright as the day I bought it even though it’s been through a ton of wash cycles. You WILL stand out wearing this shirt. Everywhere except a Van Halen concert, of course. None of that’s why you’d buy this shirt though.

The artwork is based on Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar, painted in black, red, and white. 5150, which is over the left breast, is supposedly the LAPD radio code for “criminally insane.” Van Halen has used this ambiguous number for years, with a song, album and his studio bearing the digits.

Even if you’re not a Van Halen fan, hear me out!

The real beauty of this shirt though, is that you don’t have to be a Van Halen fan. Unless someone knows what they’re looking at, they won’t get it. It doesn’t say Van Halen anywhere. It’s just a very unique shirt to anyone that isn’t familiar with VH.